Every STR has a turnover checklist. Most of them are wishlists masquerading as standard operating procedure — 47 items the cleaner ignores by item six because none of them are ranked and half of them weren’t supposed to be there.
A turnover that actually fits in 90 minutes has fewer items than you think. It has them in the right order. And it has three checks at the end that are non-negotiable.
The cut list
These don’t belong on the turnover checklist, even if they feel like they do:
- Deep-clean tasks. Oven, fridge coils, baseboard scrub. Those go on a quarterly checklist, not the between-guest one. Putting them here is how you end up with cleaners who hit 60% of the list every time.
- Anything that requires owner judgment. “Replace burned-out bulbs” sounds reasonable until the cleaner is standing in the laundry closet at 9pm trying to decide if a flickering bulb counts. Make those a separate ticket.
- Decor adjustments. “Fluff the throw pillows” — the cleaner is already going to do this. Listing it just dilutes the actual list.
The keep list, in order
The order matters because the order is the route through the unit:
- Strip beds, start laundry first thing. Laundry runs while the rest happens.
- Trash + recycling, including under beds and behind the couch.
- Kitchen surfaces, then sink, then floor. Surfaces first so debris ends up on the floor, not the other way.
- Bathrooms top-to-bottom. Mirror, then sink/counter, then shower/tub, then toilet, then floor.
- Remake beds with fresh linens.
- Vacuum + mop in one pass, exiting toward the door.
Six steps. Anything not in that list either lives on a different checklist or shouldn’t be a checklist item at all.
The three checks that catch 80% of bad reviews
After the turnover is “done,” the cleaner runs three checks:
- The smell check. Stand in the doorway, eyes closed, breathe in. Anything strong — bleach, sour towels, leftover food, dog — is a review hit. Fix it now.
- The hair check. Bathroom floor, bathroom counter, kitchen counter, top sheet. One stray hair somewhere obvious is worth more in negative reviews than any other single item on the turnover.
- The amenity check. Three things only: coffee setup, toilet paper rolls, hand soap. If those three are present and full, the guest’s first 10 minutes go right.
These three checks add 90 seconds to the turnover and remove most of the recurring single-star surprises.
What the workbook adds
The Cleaner Turnover Checklist workbook — $12 — is this list, formatted for printing, with a signature block, a per-property amenity inventory the cleaner ticks off, and a quarterly deep-clean schedule that lives on a separate tab so it doesn’t pollute the daily flow.
The point isn’t the checklist. The point is the cleaner finishing.
While you’re here: the cleaner you pay is also a tax line. The free 47 STR deductions checklist covers turnover labor, supplies, and the other operating costs hosts routinely leave on the table.